Aggressiveness Comparisons DE Razors

[Luscombe]

Hi All,
I hope this is not a stupid question. Since I am a newbie, I am pretty sure I get one mulligan.

I have been doing a lot of reading on the board and came across some comparisons between the aggressiveness of some of the gillette razors. I am not sure if this is an accurate way to characterize the razors but it seems like it might work.
Here's my question;
How would the aggressiveness of the following razors be compared.

Super Speed 50's vintage
Aristocrat 40-50's
Tech
New
Diplomat
President

Adjustables
Fat Boy
Slim Line
Merkur Futur

I know the last three are adjustable. I read on one thread where an Aristocrat was compared to a Fat Boy on 5.

Can anyone expand on how the first six compare to say a Fat boy on a specific setting or maybe how they compare to each other?

And yes, I have been wet shaving for all of 5 days now with a Fat Boy and a Derby. Today I set it to 2 and got a very good shave. I will leave it there for the next week or so and see how it does.

Thanks guys, this board is terrific.

Gary

[Pumpkin]

There's a chart on the Wiki (http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Double-Edged_Safety_Razors_Ranked_by_Aggressiveness) that compares the blade gap. Should give you what you're looking for.

[tsmba]

Hi, Gary.....welcome to B&B! Your question is not stupid at all. As mentioned, you can look to the wiki chart ranking razors by aggressiveness. Of course, you have to define "aggressiveness". The chart uses measurement of the blade gap, but the term might mean something else to you.

You kind of have to separate the adjustable models, the chart breaks them down by the settings. For those who are coming into wet-shaving, the trusty Merkur HD is pretty much the benchmark. When I started out, I was intimidated by the slant-bar, since I heard it described as 'highly-aggressive". While I found that using one demands a certain degree of respect, I have found few other razors that allow me to get consistent, close shaves with minimal effort.

[Luscombe]

Thanks,
That was what I was looking for.
Gary

[Luscombe]

When I started to get interested in wet shaving, I calle dmy son cause he has been doing it for a while. He has a Merkur Vision and suggested I get one of those. I got a Futur instead. My first shave last weekend was pretty scary even with it set on 1. After looking at the WIKI chart I now know why.

I scored a Fat Boy and decided to use it on 1 and see how it behaves. I am now exploring a setting of 2 with good results. 5 shaves into W/S and living good!

The problem is: There are so many razors to choose from and so little time.

Thanks for your help.
Gary

[Merkur25]

When I started to get interested in wet shaving, I calle dmy son cause he has been doing it for a while. He has a Merkur Vision and suggested I get one of those. I got a Futur instead. My first shave last weekend was pretty scary even with it set on 1. After looking at the WIKI chart I now know why.

I scored a Fat Boy and decided to use it on 1 and see how it behaves. I am now exploring a setting of 2 with good results. 5 shaves into W/S and living good!

The problem is: There are so many razors to choose from and so little time.

Thanks for your help.
Gary

Its great to hear that you have switched over to W/S as well! I myself have been W/S for 2 months and I have accumilated about 40 DE's now :blush:. Like you said there is too many to choose from :lol:! Good luck with finding the perfect razor....I still havent found the one! I love them all :lol::lol::lol:

[Go West Young Man]

Don't take that chart as gospel, it was compiled by different people and isn't always internally consistent. As well, there's a lot more involved in a shave besides blade gap, so you really need to try a given razor out to understand how it will work on your face.

[blue_titan]

don't take that chart as gospel, it was compiled by different people and isn't always internally consistent. As well, there's a lot more involved in a shave besides blade gap, so you really need to try a given razor out to understand how it will work on your face.

+1

[tsmba]

I agree about the chart....view it simply as a rough guide.

I should add that, while collecting razors can be a fine hobby, you will be best-served in your quest for great shaves by maintaining consistency. One of the big mistakes most of us have made is to do too much switching. If you are constantly rotating products (soaps, creams, razors, blades) it becomes impossible to make any meaningful judgments.

I have had a lot of trouble with this since I love all the various scents and products. I've gotten to where I can do soap and cream rotations, but must continually rein in my desire to frequently switch razors and blades. Settling onto a slant-bar loaded with either RPs or WS blades for many months helped, but lately I've been trying vintage Gillettes and different blades. I've come to the conclusion that I need to stick with a given razor a couple weeks before trying another. Also, different blades seems more or less suited for specific razors. The point is to stick with one set of the two for a good while in order to evaluate them properly.

[Magic Man]

i scored a fat boy and decided to use it on 1 and see how it behaves. I am now exploring a setting of 2 with good results. 5 shaves into w/s and living good!


keep us posted!